


fears (don't get me started)

by Pawprinter



Series: wheelies and art stealies verse [1]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Celebrities, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Halloween, Humor, Love Confessions, M/M, Pining, Social Media, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:14:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26923456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pawprinter/pseuds/Pawprinter
Summary: The Julie and the Phantoms Instagram page blows up thanks to a local celebrity. As a result, Alex learns what shipping is.
Relationships: Alex & Flynn & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie & Willie, Alex & Luke Patterson & Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Series: wheelies and art stealies verse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1977508
Comments: 205
Kudos: 1433





	fears (don't get me started)

**Author's Note:**

> The song title is from the song "Oh Klahoma" by Jack Stauber.
> 
> Thank you to Lai and Jen for pre-reading.
> 
> Enjoy
> 
> **EDIT (as of October 24): this fic has been re-formatted to match the sequel using Work Skins! If you read this fic before this update, no content has changed - it just has a slightly different look!**

A little corner of the Internet blew up late Wednesday night.

wheeliesandartstealies only followed seven accounts on Instagram; Tony Hawk, Banksy, Museé du Louvre, National Gallery, Smithsonian Art Restoration, Stewart Photography, and Tom Holland.

_Julie and the Phantoms was number eight._

Comments flooded in on his recent post immediately.

_[Image description: an aerial shot of a small skatepark along the beach during sunset, most likely taken with a drone. Dozens of skateboarders in the bowl are washed in a golden hue, their shadows stretching beyond the frame.]_

**wheeliesandartstealies** | life is as long as the shadows with the sun on horizon. go out, make art, wheel on. stay safe.

> **skaterboyhearteyes** | uh omg who is julie and the phantoms and why did @wheeliesandartstealies just follow them? @stanthestyles you seeing this?
> 
> **stanthestyles** | WHO IS JULIE AND HOW DOES SHE KNOW WILLIE
> 
> **belldeservedbetter** | are y’all seeing what im seeing 😳

_[Image description: a screenshot of @wheeliesandartstealies’s Instagram account, zoomed in on his 3M followers and 8 following.]_

**willieupdates** | NEWS! @wheeliesandartstealies followed @julieandthephantoms on Wednesday night!

> **jesse9TBD** | who?????
> 
> **skaterboyhearteyes** | just checked. they’re a small band of high schoolers based in la. i???
> 
> **stanthestyles** | I AM CONFUSION. @wheeliesandartstealies HELP WHY ARE YOU FOLLOWING A NEW ACCOUNT???
> 
> **awaewithmyheart** | okay but their music slaps,,, maybe @wheeliesandartstealies is more than just your average skater boy 🤧
> 
> **sick_air_dacey360** | didn’t know willie existed outside of museums and skateboarding. i feel lied to

_[Image description: a screenshot of @julieandthephantom’s Instagram account. The profile picture is a back-lit stage with four silhouettes. Their bio reads “stand tall_ _💜_ _(link below!)”. A red circle highlights their 9.3k followers and 2.4k following.]_

 **willieupdates** | UPDATE! @wheeliesandartstealies’s recent follow @julieandthephantoms is an up-and-coming rock band!

> **belldeservedbetter** | so uh im really about to stan a hologram band aren’t i
> 
> **jacksonpercies** | does anyone know why he follows them? doesn’t fit with his brand.
> 
> **skaterboyhearteyes** | @jacksonpercies maybe they hired him for photography at their show? idk. don’t know why else they’d know each other

_[Image description: a low angled and back-lit photo of a stage. In front and centre, two people stand back to back — one with a microphone, the other a guitar in hand. In the back, two more band members stand — one on bass, the other on drums. The stage is painted with multicoloured lights, turning the shot into a kaleidoscope.]_

**wheeliesandartstealies** | here’s to the old friends and the new.... an old life and a fresh one…. new beginnings and happy endings…. @julieandthephantoms rocks! tell your friends!

> **belldeservedbetter** | cryptic caption but go off king
> 
> **peinture_amour22** | when are you coming back to Paris @wheeliesandartstealies??
> 
> **awaewithmyheart** | op is a @julieandthephantoms stan account and im honestly okay with that
> 
> **caballerial.turn** | great picture!!!!

_[Image description: a screenshot of @julieandthephantom’s Instagram account with 16k followers. This time, the red circle surrounds the YouTube link in their bio.]_

**willieupdates** | UPDATE! @wheeliesandartstealies says stream STAND TALL by @julieandthephantoms!!

> **awaewithmyheart** | never clicked follow so fast after listening to a song 😳
> 
> **quinnwin.x** | okay but can someone tell me why?? what did i miss??
> 
> **caballerial.turn** | @quinnwin.x apparently Willie listens to music now

* * *

“Instagram? What’s Instagram?”

Julie glanced towards Alex. “It’s a social media platform. You remember the crash course on social media when I taught you about Spotify and YouTube?”

“Uh.” He glanced helplessly between his two friends before settling back on her. “Yes?”

“This is just another form of it. Here, see.” She pulled out her own phone from her pocket and leaned over to show him. “I post photos and videos and caption them. People can follow me if they want. We like each other’s posts. You know, the usual.”

For an example, she clicked on a recent photo of her and Flynn. They stood with their arms linked, laughing at each other. By all means, the picture itself wasn’t great — it was grainy and out of focus, but Alex could feel the energy from it. Below, the caption read _“my number one smile for my number one girl!!_ _❤️_ _”_

“See. It’s just cute stuff like that.”

Luke looked as confused as Alex felt. “Okaaaaay. How do we fit into this?”

“Exploiting us ghosts for clout?” Reggie asked. He quickly glanced at the other two, looking proud of himself. “I learned that word from Carlos. It means-“

“Doesn’t matter,” Luke dismissed. “Julie? Why did Flynn call you screaming about Instagram?”

“I don’t know. I couldn’t understand her. She was screaming too loud.” She picked up the discarded pen. “Now, let's get this song done, okay? We’re _so close_ that I can almost taste it.”

“As long as it doesn’t taste like rancid hot dogs, I’m in.” Luke slid into the seat beside her, his smile wide and cheesy.

Alex glanced towards the clock and blew out a long breath.

_Thirty more minutes._

There was still thirty minutes left until Willie was supposed to come by. Alex didn’t know hours could go by so slowly, but then again, he didn’t know ghosts could have hours.

_Period._

“Julie! Good! We have some very important business details to discuss. Are the guys here?” Flynn walked into the garage, nearly vibrating with excitement.

Luke nudged Julie’s shoulder playfully, a grin lighting up his face. “You heard, boss? _Important_ business details.”

She didn’t look up from her notebook, but Alex saw the faintest hint of a smirk. “Yeah, they’re here Flynn. Just one sec - finishing up a verse here. Sit anywhere.”

“Except the stool!” Reggie jumped in, slinking back to his stool protectively.

“Except the stool, unless you want to sit through Reg.” Flynn made a bee-line for the couch and Julie glanced at her. “You’re… calmer than you were a few minutes ago.”

She fell back into the spot beside Alex and lifted her chin confidently. “Because I remembered that I am a professional now. No fangirling allowed today.”

“Fangirling?” she pressed, the pen lowering back to the table. “Okay, now I’m interested.”

Flynn waved her hand. “No, no. You keep going. You’re doing amazing, sweetie.”

“Fangirling? That sounds painful.” Reggie glanced between Julie and Alex, as if he would have the answers. He shrugged. “Helpful. Thanks, Alex. Thought you were woke, but I guess you’re just broke.” His face lit up. “Ooo, write that down! That could be a really sick song!”

Neither Julie nor Luke commented.

Alex puffed his cheeks out and tapped his fingers against the edge of his shoe a few times, watching as Luke and Julie went back and forth over their latest verse. _He was bored, so bored._ No offense to the band, but _songwriting was a killer_ when his mind was on other things.

_Other things, such as Willie._

He glanced at the clock once again, willing the tiny hand to tick a little faster.

Reggie whistled. “The clock’s still there, I promise.”

“Don’t bug him,” Julie ordered. “I think it’s cute that he's excited.”

Alex sputtered. “Excited? Me? I’m not excited. I’m just _really_ into keeping time these days. You know… never know when we’re going to run out!”

“Morbid, dude.” Reggie grinned at him nonetheless. He stretched to try and peer at what Flynn was doing.

She ended up flopping down right next to Alex, her phone still glued in her hands. It was out of pure awe that he watched her fingers fly across the screen. The invention of the iPhone still blew his mind; how could there be a computer _that small_ and have a screen that responded to every single touch? _And_ the _storage on those things!!_ He would’ve had all 64GB taken up with music if he had one back in the 90s.

“How about we move this line to- yeah, yeah, that’s better.” Luke hummed a bit of the song and Julie nodded enthusiastically. “Works, right?”

“A hundred percent. It’s so good.” With that, she set down the pen and spun to face Flynn. “I call this meeting in order. Starting with Flynn, what’s the important business details you wanted to discuss? Something involving Instagram I’m assuming.”

“Yeah, based off that _killer_ phone call.” Luke rubbed his ear in jest.

Flynn tried to stay impassive, but failed spectacularly. A wide smile spread across her face and she squealed. “We’re going viral!”

“Huh?”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“Viral!? But we’re dead, we can’t get sick! Can we? Alex, can we?”

Julie turned to the guys, looking amused. “Viral is a _good thing_ online. It means a lot of people are talking about us.” She gave Flynn a confused look. “How’d we go viral? And on _Instagram?_ I thought we had, like, a few thousand followers and barely post?”

“We _did.”_ She turned her phone to face the group. Alex took in the page, including the numbers along the top of the screen.

9 POSTS | 87K FOLLOWERS | 2.4K FOLLOWING

The noise that left Julie’s throat was a mix between astonishment and shock. “What?! No way.”

“Way! I _can_ confirm this all happened last night because it killed my phone while I was sleeping and I missed first period. Again. But, whatever. Isn’t this amazing? Everytime I refresh, we gain a few thousand.”

Luke let out a breathless sound of awe. “I don’t understand. Who’s following us?”

“And why now?” Reggie added.

Julie repeated the questions to Flynn, who, once again, couldn’t contain her excitement. She let out a little squeal.

“Because a celebrity followed us! You’d never guess who!”

“Who? Oh my god, Zendaya? Please say Zendaya.”

“No, but that would’ve been cool… _But_ this is also really cool. Wheelies and Art Stealies!”

Julie’s excitement dulled the slightest bit. “...who?”

“Oh my god, don’t tell me that you don’t know who that is? Julie!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! It’s not like I’ve been very active on Instagram recently.”

Reggie lifted his hand. “And we’re dead.”

“And the guys are dead,” she added. “They didn’t even know what Instagram was before you called.”

“You are all so uneducated! Wow.” She slid her phone to the centre of the table, inviting the band to crowd around, all trying to see the screen at once. “Wheelies and Art Stealies. He has over three million followers on Instagram… featured in dozens of magazines… ring any bells?”

Julie winced. “No. Can you just tell us, Flynn? Who is he?”

She gestured to the phone. “See for yourselves. He’s a rebel photographer and a walking meme. He’s broken into _dozens_ of museums around the world and got _impossible_ shots of the art. And, contrary to popular belief, he doesn’t actually _steal_ art. I think his username is referring to the _epic_ shots he ‘steals.’ Clever.”

Alex grinned. “Didn’t know you were so into art.”

Julie nodded. “Yeah, I agree. Alex said that he didn’t know you were into art.”

She scoffed. “There’s more to me than just managing a rock-star band, thank you very much.” Julie scrolled further down wheeliesandartstealies’s feed. A video started playing automatically — one of an epic skateboarding fail, from what Alex could see over Luke’s shoulder. “And he’s funny. His video recording two seagulls _screaming_ at each other over fries made its way to TikTok and became a viral sound. Uh, here. Let me find one.”

Flynn snatched back her phone, leaving the three boys to stare at each other.

“Talk Talk?” Luke asked.

Reggie looked confident with himself. “That’s definitely just called a phone.”

Julie looked amused. “It’s not the phone. It’s a social media app, too. Kinda like Instagram, but it’s only videos and people lip-sync to videos and… I don’t know. A little help, Flynn?”

“Does it matter? We can give them a crash course on social media _later._ I’m trying not to pass out over here!” She slid the phone across the piano again, this time playing a video from a different app. “See? Same sound as Wheelies and Art Stealies’ Instagram, different video. People memed this sound over twenty-thousand times.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, wow. You see? This guy’s a big deal and kind of an icon.” She waved her phone. “And he follows us! Well, you. Technically, the band. _But does it matter?”_ She scrolled back up to the top of his profile, showing off his stats.

472 POSTS | 3M FOLLOWERS | 8 FOLLOWING

Julie’s eyes widened. “Over three million followers, but he only follows eight?”

“And _we’re_ one of the eight! And, he made a _post_ about the band. That’s why we’re blowing up right now!”

Reggie winced. “Blowing up… that doesn’t sound healthy.”

“Show me!”

Flynn handed the phone to Julie and the three boys peered over her shoulder. There, on their screen, was a shot of them mid-performance at a small gig last week. Alex couldn’t remember much from that show other than how _nervous_ he was over the fact Willie was in the crowd to cheer them on. But this shot - _wow._ It demanded attention. The lighting, the movement, the colours-

“Here’s to the old friends and the new; an old life and a fresh one; new beginnings and happy endings,” Julie read aloud, sounding more astonished with each word. “Julie and the Phantoms rocks, tell your friends.”

“Hey,” Alex complained, “that’s my line.”

“Who cares!” she said. “It’s getting us _hundreds of thousands of followers._ Wow. That’s… that’s amazing. How’d he even find us?”

“Who?” The group broke formation from around the piano as Willie rolled into the garage, his helmet haphazardly tipping to the side and a smile lighting up his face. He locked eyes with Alex across the room and his smile widened. “Hey.”

Instantly, Alex was cursed with awkwardness.

“Oh. Hi.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets and took a few steps back from the group, suddenly feeling very suffocated. “We’re just looking at Flynn’s Instant Grand.”

 _“Instagram,”_ Julie corrected, straightening up. She grabbed Flynn’s phone and waved it in the air. “Tell me you know what Instagram is, Willie.”

“I mean, yeah, of course. Everyone does.”

Julie sent a smug look at the band before turning back to him. “Well, _we_ are blowing up right now. We’ve gained over eighty-thousand followers since last night.”

“That’s amazing! Congrats.”

Flynn glanced around the garage, her eyes narrowed. “Wait… Willie’s here?”

“Just arrived. He’s by the door.”

She glanced in the general vicinity of Willie. “You should follow us! Add one more to our _growing_ fan base.”

“Tell her that I already do.”

Julie relayed the message and her eyes went wide. “Oh! In that case, give me your name and I’ll follow you back.” She hesitated. “That is… if… ghosts… can post on Instagram…?”

“It’s w-h-e-e-l-i-e-s-a-n-d-a-r-t-s-t-e-a-l-i-e-s.”

The room grew silent.

A beat, then-

“That spells Wheelies and Art Stealies,” Luke pointed out. “Right? I’m not the only one who heard that?”

Willie glanced towards Alex, his eyebrows pushed together. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, that’s my username. I posted about you guys last night but-”

Julie stood up so abruptly that it knocked the piano stool right through Luke’s legs and crashing to the floor. “You’re Wheelies and Art Stealies!?”

“He’s _what!?”_ Flynn bolted up from her spot on the couch, her gaze bouncing around the room. “Willie, you’re- wait. _Oh my god… he that Willie…_ Where is he?”

“Still by the door.”

“You’re Wheelies and Art Stealies?! Like… _the_ Wheelies and Art Stealies? The one with over three million followers?”

He let out an awkward laugh. “Uh, yeah, yeah. People follow me because I post a lot of art and stuff, I guess.”

Julie relayed the message to Flynn and she shook her head vigorously. “No… no that’s _not_ why they follow you. You're famous because you’re an _icon._ You… You break into museums around the world! Like- _wow._ You’ve broken into the Louvre. _The Louvre.”_

“And the Smithsonian, and the National Gallery, and-”

“You- the _shots_ you get are _impossible._ How-” Flynn’s mouth fell shut. “See, now it makes sense. You’re a _ghost._ Of _course_ you’re able to get all those angles and break in without being seen. Did you know that the _police_ opened an investigation into you because of all your photos!?” She turned to the group to reassure them. “It’s fine though because they didn’t have any evidence, and they released a statement saying it’s all photoshop, but _clearly not.”_

“Being able to teleport anywhere I want definitely helps,” he admitted. He grinned. “Wait, so… you’re like… you’re a fan?”

“Clearly,” Reggie muttered, sounding sort of awed. “That’s pretty sick, dude.”

“Yeah, and you… you didn’t even tell me. _Us._ You didn’t tell us.” Alex tried to keep his expression neutral, but was most likely failing spectacularly on that end. He was in a mix of shock and awe. “I just- wow.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Willie assured them. “It’s just something I do in my free time.”

Flynn still hadn’t gotten a full grip on the news. “I mean… You must be Gen Z, right? You can’t possibly be a millennial. Your humor? Chef kiss, Willie. _Chef kiss._ When did you die? Wait… is that an insensitive question?”

Willie glanced around the room, taking in the various awed and shocked expressions. He rubbed the back of his neck and locked eyes with Alex.

“This… this doesn’t make anything weird, does it? You all look like you saw a ghost.”

Reggie was the only one to laugh. “You’re funny, man.”

Willie hadn’t pulled his gaze from Alex. “We’re good, right? I didn’t say anything earlier because it really doesn’t matter that much to me, and-”

“No, yeah. Yeah, I mean… yeah.” Alex stumbled over his words and cringed. “Yeah, we’re good. It’s fine. Of course it’s fine.” He looked at his teammates. “Right, everyone? We’re good, right? We’re all chill?”

“Definitely,” Julie said, throwing a thumbs up. “We’re chill. So chill. Flynn?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah, sure. Chill.”

Willie looked relieved. “Okay, cool, because that would’ve sucked. But, hey! Glad my shout out helped you guys get a few more followers.” He locked eyes with Alex again and tilted his head back towards the door. “You good to go? I was hoping to hit the beach before sunset.”

He nodded his head vigorously. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let’s go.”

* * *

_[Image description: an unfiltered and awkward shot of a guitar is propped up against a bench on the beach. Words are drawn into the sand, announcing that ‘ALEX WAS HERE.’]_

**hotdogdrumsticks** | First post 😀 #mcm @wheeliesandartstealies

> **juliesdahlia** | oomf… you know mcm stands for man crush monday, right?
> 
> **hotdogdrumsticks** | @juliesdahlia Oh. How do I edit?
> 
> **hotdogdrumsticks** | @juliesdahlia Hello?
> 
> **hotdogdrumsticks** | @juliesdahlia Julie.
> 
> **hotdogdrumsticks** | Julie. Help me. @juliesdahlia

_POST NO LONGER AVAILABLE_

Minutes later, the same photo was uploaded, this time with the caption “First post 😀.”

_[Image description: an aesthetically pleasing picture of the beach, shot in warm colors. In the corner of the frame, the head and tuning keys of a guitar can be seen.]_

**wheeliesandartstealies |** sunset and sunrise. life and death. in and out. they’re not all that different. two sides of the same coin. stay safe.

> **jacksonpercies** | deep!!!!!
> 
> **stanthestyles** | poetic KING
> 
> **skaterboyhearteyes** | stan willie for clear skin
> 
> **hotdogdrumsticks** | hey when did you take this @wheeliesandartstealies

_[Image description: (repost) an unfiltered and awkward shot of a guitar is propped up against a bench on the beach. Words are drawn into the sand, announcing that ‘ALEX WAS HERE.’]_

**julieandthephantoms** | REPOST via @hotdogdrumsticks // First post 😀

> **stanthephantxms** | stream stand tall on spotify!!
> 
> **hologramstan00** | WHICH ONE OF THEM GOT INSTAGRAM-
> 
> **hologramtrio** | @hologramstan00 ALEX!! IT SAYS IN THE SAND!
> 
> **notyoureds_** | skskskskks why is his @ hotdogdrumsticks 🤢
> 
> **afannypackstan** | wait… isn’t that the same beach @wheeliesandartstealies was at yesterday?? someone confirm.
> 
> **willex_shipper** | @afannypackstan and look at the guitar… same one 👁👄👁
> 
> **afannypackstan** | @willex_shipper i am looking right at it

_[Image description: a screenshot of @wheeliesandartstealies’s Instagram account, zoomed in on his 3M followers and 10 following.]_

**willieupdates** | NEWS! willie followed @hotdogdrumsticks and @juliesdahlia on Sunday afternoon!

> **stanthestyles** | WHATS GOING ON WHY IS HE FOLLOWING MORE PEOPLE
> 
> **belldeservedbetter** | willie has a life beyond breaking into museums and skateboarding? shocked and confused.
> 
> **stanthephantxms** | THEY’RE FROM @julieandthephantoms CHECK OUT THEIR RECENT REPOST!!!
> 
> **jacksonpercies** | wish he’d use instagram more :(
> 
> **willex_shipper** | I KNEW IT!! I KNEW ALEX AND WILLIE WERE TOGETHER AT THE BEACH!!

_[Image description: a screenshot of @hotdogdrumsticks Instagram account with 13k followers and 3 following. The profile picture is of Alex mid-performance with the Phantoms. His bio reads “Instagram wont let me change usernames for 2 weeks… Thanks, Luke. / Not emotional.”]_

**willieupdates** | UPDATE! @wheeliesandartstealies’s recent follows @hotdogdrumsticks and @juliesdahlia are from @julieandthephantoms.

> **skaterboyhearteyes** | im so glad willie’s becoming friends with that band!! he deserves only good things
> 
> **blaise.ramsey01** | i hate to break it to people reading the comments but he’s just a hologram….
> 
> **willex_shipper** | EVERYONE GO CHECK OUT @hotdogdrumsticks ONLY POST!! ITS THE SAME PLACE AS WILLIE’S LAST POST!!! THEY WERE THERE TOGETHER!!!
> 
> **jesse9TBD** | @willex_shipper leave them alone. dont be rude.
> 
> **spiderlessman** | *insert when worlds collide spongebob meme*
> 
> **hologramstan00** | okay but this is actually really cute

* * *

Alex didn’t understand Instagram. Not really, anyway. There were so many buttons and options and drop down menus. Not to mention hashtags? How was he supposed to know what #mcm meant?

It was also slightly terrifying to see his follower count keep climbing. Everytime he posted something on this website, over 21,000 people saw it.

21,000.

That was more people than any of Sunset Curve’s shows, and they packed whole _clubs_ and _theatres_ for performances.

It was daunting.

He opened the app and hit refresh.

1 POST | 22K FOLLOWERS | 3 FOLLOWING

Scratch that. Everytime he posted something on this website, over _22,000_ people saw it.

(That wasn’t as daunting as the 143,000 followers that the Julie and the Phantoms account had, and even that wasn’t as daunting as Willie’s steep 3 million followers.)

Out of pure habit, Alex clicked on the button to bring him to his following list.

_Julie and the Phantoms | @julieandthephantoms_

_Julie Molina | @juliesdahlia_

_Willie | @wheeliesandartstealies_

He clicked on Willie’s profile and began to scroll. He seemed to only post five types of photos.

  1. Art
  2. Museums
  3. Skateboarding
  4. Nature
  5. Cityscapes



He was _really_ good at photography. Like, really good. He managed to capture the beauty in everything around him, even the most mundane things. It was almost as if one of his ghostly abilities was to be able to click the shutter closed at _just_ the right time.

One photo was of an unidentifiable man flying up the side of the bowl at the skatepark. It was something so _ordinary,_ but Willie made it look like he was a superhero seconds from takeoff.

Then, there was a photo from the Louvre. It was a wide-angled shot, but _clearly_ Mona Lisa was the subject of the photo. Alex hadn’t ever gone to the Louvre - he never even left America before - but he doubted there was ever a time where the museum was _this_ empty. There wasn’t a single soul visible; it was just Mona Lisa, Willie, and a camera.

(He had to admit, the comments on that one were a little confusing.

> **awaewithmyheart** | who painted the mona lisa?
> 
> **story.night8xo** | @awaewithmyheart mona lisa
> 
> **awaewithmyheart** | @story.night8xo yeah yeah mona lisa
> 
> **wheeliesandartstealies** | @awaewithmyheart DAVINKY?)

It must’ve meant something because that comment alone had several thousand likes.)

(And, yes, Alex learned what a _like_ was once his phone started overheating from the number of them he was getting.)

Down Willie’s feed was a behind the scenes shot of an art shop somewhere, showing a dozen paintings lined up in the middle of a restoration process.

And, a little further down, he managed to capture the light _perfectly_ filtering through the needles of a tree in what looked like the boreal forest. It sure wasn’t Hollywood, considering it looked like a Christmas tree.

Over and over, there was good photo after good photo. Maybe Alex was biased, but _Willie was one of the best photographers he had ever seen -_ both from 2020 and the 90s. He was also incredibly funny and deep in his captions and reading through them brought a smile to his face and a warmth to his soul.

Hundreds of thousands of people seemed to agree. He even had _fan accounts_ of himself. During the peak of Sunset Curve, they had a solid following, but he never imagined _this_ happening.

Alex amused himself by reading through some of the comments on his old posts. Lots were requesting face reveals. More were calling him king. There were some skeptics and critics scattered throughout, and he was half-tempted to _respond_ to a few of them, just to set the record straight.

He wasn’t too sure how much time had passed by the time Julie entered the garage, laughing on the phone about something that happened earlier that day at school. As soon as she spotted him, her face lit up and she quickly said goodbye to whoever she was calling.

“Alex! Hey! I hope you feel lucky that you don’t have to go to school. I just had to sit through a whole hour of algebra and I think my brain is crying.”

“I sat through my fair share of algebra. I feel your pain. All the x’s and the z’s… I _still_ don’t understand.”

She quickly crossed the garage and flung herself into the seat beside him. “What’re you up to? Finally figuring out Instagram?”

“I think so.” Her head rolled lazily to the side, coming to rest on his shoulder and he shifted his body so she could see the screen. “Willie’s like… really talented. Is it bad that this makes me want to scream? Because I could scream. I _will_ scream about how good he is from the rooftops, and-”

“Woah.” Julie shot up from where she was resting, her eyes wide with shock. “Hold up, let me see that.” She reached for her old phone, the one that Alex was currently using to access Instagram, and she scrolled back up the page quickly. She choked on a laugh. “Good thing I noticed. You accidentally liked this photo from… 37 weeks ago.”

Alex blinked slowly at her. “Uh. No. I liked it on purpose.”

A beat, then-

“Alex…”

“It’s a good photo! I thought that’s what you’re _supposed_ to do? Double tap the photos that you like?”

Julie slowly took hold of his forearm, her expression pain-filled. “Alex, I don’t know how to break this to you gently, so I’m just going to say it. People get notifications when you like a photo. You know that, right?” Something cold settled in his chest. “Usually when we stalk someone’s Instas, we _don’t_ like anything so they don’t know we’ve been scrolling through every single post they’ve ever made.”

Yep.

He was done for.

“So…” He swallowed thickly. “He… he knows I’ve been scrolling through his profile?”

“...yes?” He let out a loud and pathetic goran. Julie winced. “I’m sorry!”

“Help me,” he cried. “What do I dooooo. I’m going to die.”

“If it’s any consolation, you’re already dead, so-”

 _“Julie, please.”_ He pulled a miserable expression. “I want to go back to that dark place I spent twenty-five years in and never return.”

“No, you’re fine,” she promised him. “Just… just unlike. Quick, before he gets the notifications.”

Alex fumbled with the phone a few times before he frantically went through all of the posts he liked. When he double tapped the photo, the little red heart _still_ didn’t go away. He panicked.

“It’s not working. Why isn’t it working?!” He pressed buttons frantically, hoping one of them out work and-

A crisp beep came from his phone and his keyboard disappeared and _some voice said something about Siri and-_

He wasted no time. “Unlike! Unlike! _UNLIKE!”_

“Alex, no-”

* * *

_[Image description: a screenshot of the comments of a @wheeliesandartstealies Instagram post, cropped to show a comment “UNLIKE, UNLIKE, UNLIKE” from @hotdogdrumsticks on a post from 29 weeks ago.]_

**willieupdates** | NEWS! Alex from @julieandthephantoms (@hotdogdrumsticks) has publicly said he dislikes @wheeliesandartstealies!

> **jacksonpercies** | 🐸☕️
> 
> **notyoureds_** | either they’re really good friends or they hate each other there is no in between
> 
> **stanthephantxms** | stream stand tall on spotify!!!!!
> 
> **jesse9TBD** | @stanthephantxms go away lol. this is a WILLIE stan account, not Alex 🤡
> 
> **jesse9TBD** | hey @julieandthephantoms come collect @stanthephantxms
> 
> **willex_shipper** | wait so no willex 💔

_[Image description: a crisp version of Alex’s Instagram profile picture. The photo captures him mid-drum of a performance. Hot dog emojis are poorly photoshopped over top of the drumsticks.]_

**wheeliesandartstealies** | someone informed me that you all think im good at photoshop lol. just gonna leave this here… also, you think i could hate this guy? think again. @hotdogdrumsticks @julieandthephantoms

> **afannypackstan** | #willex!!!! Yes!!!!!!!
> 
> **hologramtrio** | uh omg guys does @hotdogdrumsticks and @wheeliesandartstealies have inside jokes about hot dogs because look at his hands and then Alex’s @??? HELLO???
> 
> **jesse9TBD** | all of you commenting #willex is really inappropriate. they’re just friends…
> 
> **stanthephantxms** | STORYTIME ABOUT YOUR @ ALEX!!?? PLEASE SIR @hotdogdrumsticks@wheeliesandartstealies
> 
> **wheeliesandartstealies** | @stanthephantxms hot dogs are Alex’s favourite food
> 
> **hotdogdrumsticks** | @wheeliesandartstealies NO THEY ARE NOT.
> 
> **hologramstan00** | Alex really said “no❤️” ^^ @hotdogdrumsticks
> 
> **hotdogdrumsticks** | @hologramstan00 I didn’t add the heart tho 🐸☕️

_[Image description: a screenshot of the comment section of @wheeliesandartstealies’s most recent Instagram post.]_

**willieupdates** | NEWS! Alex from @julieandthephantoms (@hotdogdrumsticks) and @wheeliesandartstealies are officially in a feud!

> **willex_shipper** | heart been broke so many times

_[Image description: a well-lit long exposure photo of a waterfall.]_

**wheeliesandartstealies** | don’t go chasing waterfalls

> **notyoureds_** | wait but why is this so sad
> 
> **skaterboyhearteyes** | we stan a photography king!!!!!
> 
> **sick_air_dacey360** | finally back to some regularly scheduled programming
> 
> **belldeservedbetter** | Did I dream it or did WIllie have a week-long obsession with a hologram band or is that just the reality we’re living in? 🤡

_[Image description: a grainy photo of a tambourine. In the background, Julie gives the camera a thumbs up.]_

**hotdogdrumsticks** | Trusty tambourine :) @juliesdahlia @julieandthephantoms

> **afannypackstan** | yall think he’s trying to tell us something…….
> 
> **hologramtrio** | wait I thought you were a HOLOGRAM band?? What are you doing all together??
> 
> **julieandthephantoms** | @hologramtrio we have band meetings in person sometimes! we always perform as a hologram band though!
> 
> **willex_shipper** | ALEX CALL WILLIE BACK!! MAKE UP ALREADY!!! WE MISS YOUR FRIENDSHIP!!!!
> 
> **stanthephantxms** | stream stand tall on spotify!!!!

* * *

“So,” Luke began, glancing at Alex over the edge of his notepad, “Julie wanted me to ask you why she’s getting notifications about an apparent feud between you and Willie??” He pointedly avoided his gaze by pretending to be busy adjusting the tension on his drums. “Alex, what did you do?”

“Nothing… _on purpose.”_

“Dude.” Reggie gave him a long look. “What did you do?”

“You’re not _actually_ fighting with Willie though, right?” Luke looked concerned over this and it made Alex’s heart twinge _just_ the slightest bit. Despite everything the group of them had gone through, he knew they’d always be there for him, ready and in his corner.

“Willie and I are good. I mean, we haven’t really spoken in _person_ since this apparent feud started, but… we’re good. I think. I hope.” The rest of the band gave him long looks. “It’s fine. I have it handled.”

“According to Instagram, you two currently hate each other. You two aren’t really fighting, are you?”

Alex’s head slammed into the cymbal when he whipped his head up. “Ow! No, we’re… we’re friends? We’re friends.”

“That’s not the answer to my question.”

“We’re _fine._ I just…” He blew out a long breath. “People online are… Well, okay, I made a mistake. Someone said that I commented no with the little red heart on one of Willie’s posts, and I didn’t want him to think I actually did that because, uh, _obviously I don’t want him to think I send him hearts!_ So, to throw him off the tracks, I just used some slang to counter that and now it’s getting turned into a whole thing.”

“Back up,” Luke requested. “What’s so wrong about Willie thinking you commented a heart on one of his posts? It’s cute.”

“And subtle.” Reggie paired this statement with a wink.

Alex scowled. “Not cute and not subtle, just saying. I don’t want him to think I’m _crushing_ on him, you know?”

“Uh, why not? You _are_ crushing on him.” Luke stared at him like he sprouted a second head. “I hate to say it, but even _Reggie_ figured that much out. So what if Willie knows?”

 _“Because.”_ He chewed on his lip. “I don’t know if he feels the same way about me and if he doesn’t things will just get _weird._ Like, really weird. And I don’t want that.” He scrubbed his face and looked at Luke from between his fingers. “Don’t even try to pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. _You know.”_

“Absolutely do not know what you’re talking about,” he denied. Alex didn’t want to press though, so he dropped it. “Willie’s so into you, man. You’d have to be dead not to see it.”

“I mean, _I’m_ dead and _I_ see it,” Reggie argued. A beat, then- “Ghost jokes are never going to grow old, are they?”

Luke tried to look stern by shaking his head, but his amused smile made it clear it was all an act. “But let me get this straight. You were _extra_ mean to him online, just to throw him off the fact you _might_ be into him?”

“Yep, that sums it up.”

“Okay, well, if you’re worried about ruining your friendship by crushing on the guy, I think you need to reevaluate your strategy.”

Alex had a headache brewing.

Shocking - he didn’t know ghosts could get headaches.

“I’m so bad at this,” he complained. “What if I already ruined our friendship by being a jerk? What if we _are_ in a feud?”

Luke nodded pensively. “Alright. Here’s what you’re going to do…”

* * *

_[Image description: an uncentred photo of a familiar sand-covered beach. The words ON THE EDGE OF GREAT are drawn into the sand.]_

**hotdogdrumsticks** | Hey, @wheeliesandartstealies. I think we’re on the edge of something great. Miss you.

_Comments have been limited by the account owner._

_[Image description: a blank white wall. In the corner, in black ink… MISS YOU TOO]_

**wheeliesandartstealies** | right now im loving every minute, hands down can't let myself forgеt it.

> **skaterboyhearteyes** | what’s this supposed to mean?? anybody?? help??
> 
> **hologramstan00** | are y’all seeing what im seeing!! 😳
> 
> **jacksonpercies** | @hologramstan00 it’s literally a blank screen?? I- no. nobody is seeing what you’re seeing.
> 
> **hologramstan00** | @jacksonpercies LOOK AT THE BOTTOM RIGHT!??
> 
> **jacksonpercies** | @hologramstan00 oh-
> 
> **stanthephantxms** | GUYS!!! THIS IS A @julieandthephantoms SONG!!!!! I REPEAT!! THIS IS A JATP SONG!!!
> 
> **afannypackstan** | WILLIE SAID WILLEX RIGHTS!! #willex
> 
> **willex_shipper** | hey @hotdogdrumsticks come get ur man

_[Image description: (repost) a blank white wall. In the corner, in black ink… MISS YOU TOO.]_

**willieupdates** | REPOST via @wheeliesandartstealies // right now im loving every minute, hands down can't let myself forgеt it. ✨UPDATE! willie says stream STAND TALL by @julieandthephantoms!!✨

> **belldeservedbetter** | does this mean willie and alex made up!?
> 
> **awaewithmyheart** | back to stanning a hologram band i see… i cant complain, their music is *chef kiss*
> 
> **stanthestyles** | willie’s friendship with jatp is so PURE!!! WE LOVE TO SEE IT
> 
> **willex_shipper** | #willex! #willex! #willex!

* * *

Alex hoped he would find Willie here.

He teleported into his usual hang out spot at the museum and listened for sounds of life.

~~Or death.~~

~~Or… what sounds did ghosts make?~~

It didn’t take long for the drag of skateboard wheels along concrete to become audible. A familiar voice called out a whoop of excitement and Alex allowed his legs to carry him forward.

He needed to clear the air with Willie.

_He needed to, yet he was so nervous._

His palms were slick with sweat and his whole body felt jittery, like he’d had one too many cups of coffee. His ears rang and his throat grew tight, but _no._

He was going to do this.

He _needed_ to do this.

When Willie caught sight of Alex approaching, his face lit up and he let out a little shout. “Alex! Hey, man. I didn’t know you were coming by!”

He skated right up to him and pulled him into a hug without hesitation. Alex went willingly, melting into his embrace and relishing the warm feelings being this close to Willie brought to him. There was something about him that made Alex feel light and _good._

Alex hated that he’d been avoiding him, all because he didn’t know what to say or how to say it. He hated that he pushed him away. He hated that he was _running, always running._

No more.

“Look, Willie, I need to talk to you about something,” Alex said, his voice holding strong. He pulled from his grip and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Uh. About… _everything_ that’s been going on.”

He hesitated and his smile dimmed the slightest bit. “Uh, yeah, alright. I’m all ears.” He gestured for them to move to sit on a bench, but Alex shook his head.

“No, I… I need to be on my feet, you know. Constantly moving. I just- I have so much _energy_ right now, and-”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it.” Willie’s smile turned reassuring and he reached across the chasm between them, grabbing his shoulder comfortingly. “Whatever it is you want to say, I want to hear.”

Alex blew out a breath and nodded. “Yeah, okay. I just wanted to apologize for the whole feud thing on Instagram. I was the one to cause it and I let it get out of control.”

His eyebrows shot up. “What? No need to apologize. It was just some jokes, right? No harm.”

“... are you sure about that? Because things have been… _weird_ lately.”

Willie was a master of hiding his true expressions. Alex couldn’t get a read on him, and he wanted to. He desperately wanted to.

“You’ve been busy. I’ve been busy. It’s fine. Seriously. We’re good, Alex.”

It would’ve been easy to just accept his words and move on, but there was a purposeful tugging in his soul, and he knew-

_He couldn’t walk away from this._

“I haven’t been busy though,” Alex said. He swallowed thickly and willed himself to keep talking. “I’ve been avoiding you. A jerk move, I know, but… I was worried.” He fiddled with the fanny pack across his chest, just to give his hands something to do. “First, I liked _all_ your posts on Instagram. And I mean all of them. Julie calls it stalking, but I was just _looking,_ and… Have you read any of the comments under our posts? Comments about _us?”_

Wille looked confused. “Yeah, of course.”

“They call us Willex. They think we’re… uh… _together.”_

There was a long pause.

Once again, Alex wished he was back in that black room. Not even Caleb’s jolts felt as painful as _this moment of waiting._ It was agony, trying to decipher Willie’s expressions.

“They’re just fans online,” he finally said, breaking the silence. “They’re not being serious.”

A heavy pause. Then-

“What if I want them to be.”

_And there it was._

Willie’s eyes snapped to his, wide with shock. His mouth opened the slightest bit, as if he was going to speak, but he never did.

Alex’s heart was _pounding_ and it felt like he was seconds away from fading into oblivion, but he kept talking. Words spilled out of his mouth uncontrollably, each one coming faster than the last.

“I really like you, Willie, and it’s terrifying because I… I don’t know how you feel about me. _I don’t._ That’s why I’ve been avoiding you; because I’ve been trying to convince you that I _don’t_ like you because I’m _scared._ I’m so scared of this. _Terrified._ I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared before and I’ve _died_ before and… And I’m done pretending. I like you, Willie. _Really like you._ More than just friends.”

Alex blew out a shaking breath and smoothed his hands down the sides of his pants, wicking away the sweat. There was a weight lifted off his shoulders just _getting it out there._

He watched Willie carefully, taking note of the smallest shifts of his expression. The slow blink to his eyes. The parted lips. The slack jaw. He was shocked - too shocked to form words - and a horrible feeling went through Alex.

But, before those feelings could get truly realized, Willie’s face broke out into a large smile.

“Alex,” he breathed, “I told you before. I _care_ about you. I’d do anything for you because _I like you too.”_ His smile softened. “I really like you, Alex. _More than just friends.”_

A relief so potent washed across him, nearly knocking Alex to his feet. His stomach flipped and his heart skipped a beat and-

Willie’s gaze dipped briefly towards Alex’s lips before flicking back up to his gaze. He visibly saw him swallow thickly. “Can I, uh-”

“Kiss me?”

“Yeah, can I?”

_“Please.”_

They moved together, closing the gap between them. The kiss that followed was short and sweet, yet it left Alex feeling like he could _fly._ He felt Willie’s smile against his own, and a giddiness rose to match the warmth.

When they broke apart, they stared at each other for a beat, sharing the moment of peace and bliss together.

Then, they both promptly burst into giddy laughter.

“I’ve wanted to tell you this for so long,” Willie admitted, still smiling wide enough to cause Alex to melt. He loved his smile. “Ever since we met.”

“Are you kidding? Me too. I was just-”

“Scared.”

 _“So scared._ I didn’t want to lose you.”

Willie’s smile softened and his hands brushed against Alex’s. “You won’t. I’m here to stay, Alex.”

His head tipped forward, his forehead coming to press against Willie’s. Together, they stood, reveling in each other’s embraces and the feelings of _rightness_ in their souls.

“Oh god,” Alex laughed, breaking the silence, “what’s the Internet going to say?”

* * *

_[Image description: two figures dressed in ghost costumes hold hands in front of an apple tree.]_

**wheeliesandartstealies** | he warms my cold dead heart. happy halloween, alex. you’re my favourite ghost #ghostphotoshoot #mcm

> **julieandthephantoms** | alright. everyone pack it up. they win the whole trend.
> 
> **luke_inggoood** | i got instagram JUST to like this photo
> 
> **juliesdahlia** | the way i love you both 🤧 @wheeliesandartstealies @hotdogdrumsticks
> 
> **reginaldsolo** | i ship willex more than i ship hanleia
> 
> **hotdogdrumsticks** | he was a skater boy 😌

_Comments have been limited by the account owner._

_[Image description: (repost) two figures dressed in ghost costumes hold hands in front of an apple tree.]_

**willieupdates** | REPOST via @wheeliesandartstealies // he warms my cold dead heart. happy halloween, alex. you’re my favourite ghost #ghostphotoshoot #mcm

> **skaterboyhearteyes** | THE SCREAM I JUST LET OUT
> 
> **stanthephantxms** | stream stand tall on spotify!!
> 
> **quinnwin.x** | best love story of our generation #willex
> 
> **awaewithmyheart** | like if you’ve been here since day 1 of the willex story 🤧
> 
> **willex_shipper** | WILLEX IS REAL!! WE WON!!
> 
> **jesse9TBD** | no… alex and willie are just friends, guys!!
> 
> **wheeliesandartstealies** | @jesse9TBD lol no im like… very much in love with him #willex
> 
> **hotdogdrumsticks** | @wheeliesandartstealies #willex4life

**Author's Note:**

> Just a few disclaimers to end this fic!
> 
>   * All Instagram usernames were made up by me for the purpose of this fic. They are not related to any social media account past, present, or future.
>   * Thank you to Jen who let me borrow the username @juliesdahlia for this fic! 
>   * The "who painted the Mona Lisa" line is a reference to a TikTok sound from @vorostwins.
>   * The final Instagram post is supposed to be a play on the Ghost Photoshoot Challenge. Basically, you wear a white sheet and have a photoshoot.
> 

> 
> A special thank you to CSS coding guide put out by [gadaursan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gadaursan/pseuds/gadaursan) ([Repository](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8631214/chapters/53440558)). I used this guide to change text colours.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are appreciated.  
> You can find my Tumblr [here!](https://pawprinterfanfic.tumblr.com)


End file.
